2013 Goldman Environmental Awards: Framing the Story

I had the amazing opportunity to once again attend the Goldman Environmental Awards this week, honoring everyday people who have achieved stunning positive environmental successes.  Once of the unifying attributes of all six individuals is the personal connection they felt to their cause, the subsequent motivation to act and then the way in which they framed their campaign to others building a groundswell of support. In developing marketing or brand strategies for non-profits, I find that identifying that personal connection between stakeholders and the cause is key to successfully connecting and motivating engagement. Sometimes existing insights have become outdated and that new connection opportunity is not immediately apparent so a little archeology is involved. There are many ways to do this and I structure the process in such a way that it engages and builds engagement with key stakeholders from the start. For a women’s recovery center with whom I worked, Client interviews revealed important insights including the benefits they perceived in being supported by a women-focused organization. For a wildlife organization, funders confirmed the importance of the work and gave great perspective on the work needed to positively engage people in the protection of wildlife. I look forward to working with your cause and identifying those key points of connection that can be leveraged for powerful marketing engagement programs.  In the meantime, check out the 2013 Goldman Environmental Award winners and their stories.